It’s February and Chinese New Year is just around the corner, which falls on February 19th this year. To celebrate the festivity, I am going to share a series of popular and super easy Chinese recipes with you all. When it comes to Chinese food in the United States, no restaurant is more iconic than Panda Express, who has over 1650 stores here.
Panda Express is famous for its Chow Mein and I am sharing the copycat recipe with you today. Everyone loves Chow Mein, greasy Chinese noodles tossed with lots of vegetables, stir-fried over very high heat in a wok. To make sure that I do justice to the real deal, I recently went to Panda Express twice, talking to the cook and drilling down the recipe, and I got it down to a T.
The recipe is very simple, you only need a few key ingredients: noodles, onion, cabbage, celery, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and oil. A perfect chow mein should be loaded with lots of wok hei (breath of wok)—the ingredients should be flash cooked over high heat in a wok, so the noodles and vegetables are slightly burned and charred. I am sure you have seen the cook at Panda Express tossing and cooking the noodles behind the counter, all done in a matter of minutes. To get good wok hei, you need lots of oil and a wok (but skillet will do). The chow mein should never be soggy or wet, and no water should be added during the cooking process.
So below is the real Panda Express on the left and my version on the right. The chow mein tastes exactly like Panda Express, the only difference is the noodles used. Panda Express noodles are specially made for them only and not available at the stores. For the closest replacement, use yakisoba.
This is a super easy recipe to make at home and you can get all ingredients from regular stores. Make a big batch of Panda Express Chow Mein—it’s so good, so easy, healthier, cheaper, and you can have as much as you want!
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Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
I love this, Bee. . and I bet your version is way better than Panda Express!! We’ve stopped eating there and I make Chinese food at home!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Alice, yes it’s better because you can make it less greasy, theirs is soaked in oil!! :)
Laura @ Raise Your Garden
We stopped eating there too for reasons I won’t get into on the Internet! I absolutely love Copycat recipes, they can just be spot on for the fraction of the cost so I can’t wait to try. Love getting that restaurant experience (without the hmmmm, was this food dropped on the floor and scooped up and put back in the pan? question in my brain. Thanks for sharing. Will try!!!!
Rasa Malaysia
Oh no, wow, that’s just gross. Yes, you can make this easily at home, and it tastes like the real deal as I did side-by-side taste testing. :)
nancy
Unfortunately you have to worry about any restaurant dropping food and putting it back.
Liz
Delicious Bee. Thank you.
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Liz.
philherb
so it certainly looks like lo mein to me, no chow mein
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Phil, lo mein is wet, chow mein is dry. Chow Mein means 炒面 in Chinese which is basically fried noodles. Lo Mein is 捞面, which means the noodles are pre-cooked first and then mixed with a sauce.
Cleeo2
Looks like Lomein to me too! I notice many online recipes for Chow mein look like Lomein. In the North East, our Chow mein is served on crunchy noodles and Lomein on soft spaghetti type noodles.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Cleeo, chow mein means stir-fried noodles. The crunchy noodles might be a regional variation. Lo Mein means the noodles are mixed with the sauce, there is really no stir-frying involved.
liah
What is the best type of oil to use in Asian cooking, Bee? Vegetable, Corn, Olive or Canola? Which gives the less fat and more flavor? ove your recipes..
Rasa Malaysia
Vegetable oil is fine, or any oil is fine.
Brian
While you could use any oil for stir frying, it is not a bad idea to consider using one with a high smoke point if cooking indoors. I use rice bran oil or extra light olive oil however avocado oil is better (but more expensive). Basically you want a refined oil,
Rasa Malaysia
Good to know.
Jenni
Hi. I made this last night for supper and my family loved it. I’m not sure I did the noodles right though. I used uncooked Ramen Noodles (you know the kind that are 40 cents in a square package) and even though I separated them they were still crunchy. Should I have used a different noodle or even cooked them first? My family liked them as is but I didn’t think they looked like your lovely picture.
Thanks for posting such wonderful recipes.
Rasa Malaysia
The uncooked ramen should be soft and not crunchy…they are pale yellow in color right? Next time you can use a bit of water and quickly rinse it to separate the noodles.
Cheryl Mae
Cook the dry Yakisoba noodles quickly in the microwave or some boiling water just for about a minute then cool with cold water and drain till you add to the pan with the sauce. I’ve made with both noodles and I liked the dry better. They must be parboiled first though and then they finish cooking in the pan with the sauce
Katie
The chow mien from Panda has always been a favorite of mine so i knew i had to try this. I made it last night and it was SO GOOD. Loved how simple it was and that it used minimal ingredients. Will be making this often. Thank you for sharing!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Katie, thanks so much for your sweet comment, I am so glad that you love this Panda Express chow mein recipe. :)
Patty
hi, I love Chinese food and this noodles are my favorite! One question, how come the noodles end up looking so soft but they are not boiled? Is it just the oil that do the work and magic? I’m making this tomorrow just need to get oyster sauce!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, oil and high heat cooking :)
Tina
Have to try this recipe ass well – looks nice and easy :-)
Greetings from Denmark – love chinese food and dont have the chinese take-away options like in the states. So glad to find your homepage 3 month ago – we have been making different recipes several time every week since then :-)
Looking forward to new recipes from you…
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Tina, please check out my new ebook https://rasamalaysia.com/easy-asian-takeout/. I think you will really like it.
Kristy
Hi I just tried this recipe – HELP! Are you sure we aren’t supposed to cook the yasiko noodles first?? Mine never did soften up! I cooked them with all the ingredients for an additional 10 minutes (covered) and even added 1/2 cup of water and they are still crunchy! The flavor is great and I really want this to work ;) what do you suggest?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Kristy, can you send me a picture of your yakisoba? It’s not supposed to be crunchy and they are soft. This is how they look: https://foodutopia.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/maruchan-fresh-yaki-soba.jpg
amy
hi. could you please tell me what you mean by the yakisoba noodles(in the ingredient?) so don`t buy the packaged chow mein noodles?
Rasa Malaysia
This is how they look: http://www.lafujimama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/yakisoba-noodles.jpg. But you can use packaged chow mein noodles and follow the instructions of the packaging before cooking. Some you have to cook them before stir-frying. For yakisoba noodles you don’t have to.
Mary
can you use shirataki noodles to make this dish???
Rasa Malaysia
You can but I think the results will be different.
Faye
Wow!! Just made this for me and my daughter’s tea and we absolutely loved it. So simple and tasty, never used oyster sauce before and found it to be lovely and sweet with a hint of the ocean!! Thankyou for another low cost, simple, tasty meal : )
Faye
Just a quick note, I had a packet of dried udon noodles in the cupboard, never used them before thought I would try these as I can’t locate yakisoba noodles here in the UK and they were great. I followed the packet instructions, cooked them for 4 mins then I rinsed in cold water, drained them and added them to recipe as specified. Next time I might try a different noodle but would use these again : )
Rasa Malaysia
That’s a great idea, great that you love the recipe.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes Faye, oyster sauce makes everything better, I use it a lot. :)
Mary
Hi there! I’m wondering if the key word is “fresh?” The package in your pic says Fresh Yakisoba, and it seems like the standard “ramen” we all know and love (admit it!), uses dried noodles? Very dry, actually. Truthfully… Shhhhhh… I eat about half straight out of the package long before they touch any water/seasonings. =) Anyhoo… could that be the discrepancy? I’m dying to make this and am pretty sure I’ve seen noodles like those pictured for sale in the “Asian foods” section of my regular grocery store. Wouldn’t be hard to grab some if the common 4/$1 “ramen” isn’t doing the trick… I also have a true Chinese grocer about 2 doors down from my apartment– in Des Moines, no less!– so that would be an option as well if they’re slightly more obscure. The noodles are key– wanna get em just right!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, you need fresh yakisoba, not the crispy and hard ones. Go to your Chinese grocer I am sure you will find what you need!
Mary
Btw… I just found this site after spotting your INCREDIBLE recipe for Garlic Sesame Noodles on a Lil Luna blog email/newsletter/whatever… Well, my new culinary idol, it was love at first site (See what I did there? Ha! Um. Yeah. Sorry.). Absolutely everything I’ve seen so far, I want to devour immediately. And I truly mean ev-ry-thang. Only one small issue… I’m a vegetarian! One who’s convictions are weakening at the sight of some of your pics! Luckily, at a brief glance, it appears there’s plenty of veggie options or easy tweaks/omissions. Basically, LOVE your recipes!! So happy to have found you!!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Mary, thanks so much for finding my site through Lil Luna, much appreciated. You can also check out my new ebook at https://rasamalaysia.com/easy-asian-takeout/
Andy
Yummy looking recipe but I can’t eat oyster sauce, is there a substitute?
Pennywise
Yeah, so I totally messed this recipe up. Too bad I made it while I was hungry, b/c it was all wasted and I just chucked it! I assumed Soba noodles were the same as Yakisoba, because I am not asian saavy. It’s not. I didn’t read the comments, just the recipe, so I didn’t know the noodles were supposed to be noodles that were already wet. The noodles ended up gumming up and burning at the bottom, because they were uncooked. I will make this recipe again, but I am bummed that I wasted $7 on Soba noodles that I couldn’t eat. Lesson learned!
Rasa Malaysia
Pennywise, I am so sorry to hear that. Yeah, not all Asian noodles are the same. Soba noodles are brown but Yakisoba noodles are usually yellowish in color. It’s best you use a non-stick wok when you make noodles.
kelly polizzi
hi rasa, would so love to make this but hubby refuses to let me put oyster sauce anywhere near his food (fish phobia!). Would this dish be the same without it or is there something i can substitute for it? *fingers crosses*
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Kelly, it won’t taste as flavorful but you can sneak in some chicken bouillon powder if you like. ;)
Gail
Is this regular cabbage in your recipe or bok choy? Don’t want to use the wrong thing ’cause I’m so hungry for this yummy dish! :) Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Cabbage.
Tiphanie
Hi Bee,
I just wanted to say Thank You for this copycat Panda Express recipe! We love Panda chow mein (my kids like it because it doesn’t have meat), and I admit to using a different recipe from another blog first, claiming it was “even better” than the original. Unfortunately, it tasted nothing like Panda’s, and my kids wouldn’t touch it. I found your recipe and decided to try again. Such a big hit, and it really does taste so close to the Panda recipe! And I can’t believe how simple it is to prepare! Since then, I’ve made it several times, and it’s always so delicious. Thanks, Bee!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Tiphanie, thanks for leaving your sweet comment. I am so happy that you liked this Panda Express recipe. Yes, it’s very close to the original. You should try my other recipes, they are all good. https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
MarlaMahh
Hi Bee,
You gave us the Panda Express Chow Mein. Thanks. Can you gave us the Panda Express Beijing Beef? My family loves the Beijing Beef .
MarlaMah
Rasa Malaysia
https://rasamalaysia.com/beijing-beef-recipe/
Madeline
I can’t wait to try this. Do you think you can re -create mushroom chicken from panda express? One of my fave that i always get when im craving for panda. Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Of course, it’s very easy! I will try.
David
Thank you so much for publishing your recipes, I’ve enjoyed reading them and your notes about each one. It’s obvious you have a love for food and for teaching others. For this particular recipe, which I’ve made my own version of a few times (always looking for Panda Express clones), I was surprised you didn’t have some type of thickener for the sauce. In the restaurant the sauce definitely has something (most likely corn or potato starch) to tighten things up, doesn’t the sauce as you make it stay too watery?
Rasa Malaysia
There is no sauce in Chow Mein. Chow Mein is supposed to be dry. Panda Express Chow Mein is also dry, there is no sauce and there is no need to have thickener.
David Neely
Thanks for sharing this, spot on to the original. I used frozen (but thawed) Yakisoba noodles and they were perfect.
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks David, for trying my Panda Express Chow Mein recipe.